The present invention is generally directed to a lift and, more specifically, to a vehicle wheel lift.
At various times it is necessary to remove a wheel from a vehicle in order to perform maintenance on the vehicle and/or maintenance on the vehicle wheel. For example, when a motorcycle tire is flat, the motorcycle wheel must be removed from the motorcycle such that a motorcycle tire and/or inner tube can be repaired or replaced. In a typical situation, when a wheel is to be removed from a motorcycle the motorcycle is placed on a jack stand, which elevates the motorcycle wheels off of the ground. Once a wheel of the motorcycle is lifted off the ground, an individual after removing the wheel must lower the wheel to the ground. Further, after maintenance has been performed on the motorcycle or the wheel, e.g., a tire and/or inner tube has been replaced or repaired, the wheel must generally be lifted up to be replaced on the motorcycle. This requires the individual to both lift the wheel into place and secure the wheel to the motorcycle while holding the wheel in place, which can be physically difficult for the individual. Further, when replacing or removing wheels from other vehicles, e.g., tractor-trailers, the task may be even more difficult as such wheels are generally considerably heavier than motorcycle wheels.
Thus, what is needed is a practical vehicle wheel lift that allows an individual to more readily remove/secure a vehicle wheel from/to a vehicle.
The present invention is directed to a vehicle wheel lift that includes a base, a substantially upright member, a linear actuator, and a lift arm. The linear actuator is coupled to the upright member, which is attached to and extends from the base. The lift arm is pivotally coupled to the upright member proximate a first end of the lift arm and above the linear actuator. The lift arm includes a wheel cradle shaped for receiving a vehicle wheel proximate a second end of the lift arm that is opposite the first end of the lift arm and is connected to a ram of the linear actuator between the first and second ends of the lift arm.
In one embodiment, the wheel cradle is semi-circular. In another embodiment, the base includes a plurality of casters attached to and extending from a lower surface of the base. In yet another embodiment, the linear actuator includes one of a hydraulic cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder and a screw jack. The screw jack may be one of a manually actuated screw jack or an electrically actuated screw jack.
In still another embodiment, the base is substantially u-shaped and includes a base mounting plate with apertures aligned in a base pattern for receiving mounting bolts for attaching the base to the upright member, which includes an upright member mounting plate with apertures aligned to match the base pattern. In yet another embodiment, the upright member is inclined rearward from an opening of the u-shaped base.
Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will become apparent upon a consideration of the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The above brief description sets forth rather broadly the more important features of the present disclosure so that the detailed description that follows may be better understood, and so that the present contributions to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining the preferred embodiment of the disclosure in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and the arrangements set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The motorcycle wheel lift of the present disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for description and not limitation. Where specific dimensional and material specifications have been included or omitted from the specification or the claims, or both, it is to be understood that the same are not to be incorporated into the appended claims.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be used as a basis for designing other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims are regarded as including such equivalent constructions as far as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the Abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with the patent or legal terms of phraseology, to learn quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. Accordingly, the Abstract is intended to define neither the invention nor the application, which is only measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
These and other objects, along with the various features and structures that characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the motorcycle wheel lift of the present disclosure, its advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of the invention.
While embodiments of the motorcycle wheel lift are herein illustrated and described, it is to be appreciated that various changes, rearrangements and modifications may be made therein, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.